One Principal Investigator (PI), whose trial is part of the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) North West Exemplar Programme, explains how his site is well on its way to achieving that.
The ORCHARRD study is being carried out at two sites in the North West and the region is currently leading the way in the UK for recruitment. At The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, three patients have been recruited, while at Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust they have recruited two patients.
Professor John Radford is the Principal Investigator at The Christie. His site has a recruitment target of six patients in two years for the study. He said that ORCHARRD is one of a large portfolio of lymphoma studies run by the Manchester Lymphoma Group.
Professor Radford said: “As a group we always try to be realistic about the targets we can achieve. We regularly look at our capacity for undertaking new trials against those we are already recruiting to.This helps to ensure we are not trying to recruit too many patients and overloading the research team.
“The Research Group meets every week to discuss all the studies that are open and in follow-up to see how we’re doing. This gives staff a regular opportunity to highlight any challenges and how best we can address these.
“Research is at the top of our agenda and we always ask ‘is there a suitable trial this patient can be offered as an alternative to standard care?’. It is therefore very important that everyone seeing patients with lymphoma across the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Research Network is aware of which studies are open and recruiting.
“As PI for the ORCHARRD study, I have written to all colleagues in the Network highlighting the study to them. We also have a website where details of this and all our studies can be accessed and we produce a regular newsletter. All of these have a part to play in helping us achieve an 80% success rate for all our studies recruiting to or exceeding target.”
It is this close approach to team working and keeping people aware of what’s happening that has led them to the early success for this study.
Professor Radford added: “If we are to reduce health inequalities, then it’s important we recruit patients from all backgrounds and areas of the Network and not just those who live close to The Christie.”
The ORCHARRD study is sponsored by GSK and is investigating how well a new monoclonal antibody called ofatumumab works in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of large cell lymphoma.
NIHR CRN North West Exemplar homepage
